>> SO WE’RE NOT GOING TO HELL IN
A HAND BASKET DESPITE SO MANY
PEOPLE FEARING THAT WE ARE, NEIL
THE REALITY SAID SIMPLY WHEN YOU
LOOK AT AIR TRAVEL IS GLOBALLY
ANY SINGLE AIRLINE ASIDE, ANY
SINGLE LOCATION ASIDE, GLOBALLY,
WE’RE BEGINNING TO GET TO WHERE
WE’RE APPROACHING PRE-PANDEMIC
LEVELS OF AIR TRAVEL AROUND THE
WORLD, AND THAT KEEPS
GROWING.
NEIL: THAT WAS KEN FISHER WITH
US YESTERDAY TALKING ABOUT RE
BOUND IN CONSUMER ACTIVITY,
THINGS THAT CONSUMERS ARE
FINDING THEIR FOOTING.
DAVE RAMSEY, NO DOUBT, HOPES
THAT’S THE CASE BUT HE’S BUILT A
CAREER TRYING TO PAY IT FORWARD
BECAUSE HE WAS IN A WORLD OF
HURT SPENDING MORE MONEY THAN HE
HAD AND HE’S DEVOTED HIS LIFE TO
MAKING SURE NO ONE REPEATS THAT.
WHEN I SAY PAY IT FORWARD HE’S
WRITTEN SEVEN BEST SELLERS.
HE’S HELPED MILLIONS COME OUT OF
THE BRINK, AND TO THIS DAY,
REMINDS AMERICANS, YOU SPEND
WHAT YOU HAVE AND NO MORE.
THE FACT THAT HE’S ALSO VERY
VERY CHEAP, BUT ALSO A NICE
HUMAN BEING.
>> [LAUGHTER]
NEIL: I THINK ADDS TO HIS UMPH.
DAVE VERY GOOD TO SEE YOU.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING ME.
>> MERRY CHRISTMAS, MY FRIEND
AND YOU TRUMPED MY CHEAP CARD,
YOU KNOW THAT.
NEIL: OH, COME ON, YOU KNOW,
DAVID BUT IN ALL SERIOUSNESS,
YOU BRING A GOOD POINT TO THE
TABLE AND THAT IS AND I THOUGHT
ABOUT YOU WHEN I READ THIS STORY
THAT MORE AMERICANS ARE TAPPING
THEIR 401 (K) FOR CASH.
THAT’S JUST THE KIND OF STUFF
THAT WORRIES YOU DOESN’T IT?
>> YEAH, WE’VE GOT CONSUMER
SPENDING FOR BLACK FRIDAY AND
CYBER MONDAY AND GOING INTO THE
HOLIDAYS IS UP 11%.
MEANWHILE, THE CONSUMERS
FREAKING OUT AT THE GAS PUMP AND
AT THE GROCERY STORE WITH
INFLATION GOING I DON’T
HAVE ENOUGH MONEY AND YET THEY
WENT OUT AND KIND OF HAD A
SPENDING TEMPER FIT FOR
CHRISTMAS, AND ARE SPENDING
LIKE CRAZY AND THEN ON THE OTHER
HAND WE’RE TAPPING 401 (K) FOR
HARDSHIP WITHDRAWALS AND SO
I THINK THIS IS A THING WHERE
PEOPLE NEED TO SLOWDOWN AND
BACKUP A LITTLE BIT AND JUST SAY
GOSH, IT’S TIGHT OUT THERE.
THE GAS PUMPS REAL.
THIS GROCERY THING IS REAL.
THE INFLATION IS REAL, AND SO
SLOWDOWN A LITTLE BIT, CALM DOWN
USE SOME WISDOM HERE AND NO,
DON’T RUN YOUR CREDIT CARD DEBT
UP WHICH IS THE HIGHEST RIGHT
NOW ITS BEEN IN ALMOST 20-
SOMETHING YEARS.
NEIL: YOU KNOW, FOR ALL YOUR
DENSE IT AND CHRISTIANITY, YOU
REALLY GIVE IT TO THOSE ON YOUR
RADIO SHOW WHEN THEY’RE NOT HEAR
ING WHAT YOU’RE SAYING.
HOW DO THEY REACT TO THAT,
SLOWDOWN, COOL IT, DON’T SPEND
MORE THAN YOU HAVE.
WHAT’S THEIR REACTION?
>> WELL, I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY
DIFFERENT FOLKS HAVE DIFFERENT
REACTIONS, BUT WE’VE BEEN ON THE
AIR FOR 30 YEARS SO WE’VE
GOT, WITH SOME OF OUR LISTENER
BASE WE HAVE A VERY LONG
RELATIONSHIP AND THEY EXPECT ME
TO TELL THEM THE TRUTH, TO LOVE
THEM ENOUGH TO TELL THEM THE
TRUTH, AND YOU KNOW, IF
YOU’RE MISBEHAVING AND SOMEONE
JUST PATS YOU ON THE HEAD AND
SAYS KEEP DOING IT THAT’S
HARMFUL.
THAT’S ENABLING, AND SO WE WANT
TO BE LOVING AND I’LL START OUT
WITH SOMEBODY THAT DOESN’T KNOW
WHO WE ARE, PRETTY CALM AND EASY
, BUT IF IT’S AN ALL-TIMER
THAT’S BEEN WITH US LISTENING TO
US 20 YEARS BUT DOING STUPID
THINGS THEN HEY, I LOVE THEM
ENOUGH TO TELL THEM THE TRUTH
DON’T DO THAT.
IT GOING TO HURT YOU.
NEIL: DO YOU EVER RUN ACROSS
THOUGH PEOPLE WHO DON’T HEAR YOU
, AND YOU’RE JUST FED UP WITH
IT AND YOU SAY YOU KNOW YOU
SOUND LIKE A FOOL AND I’M
WASTING MY TIME TALKING TO YOU.
>> OH, ABSOLUTELY.
ABSOLUTELY.
IT MAKES GREAT RADIO [LAUGHTER]
AND SO BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS WE
GET TO, YOU KNOW, WE GET TO HAVE
THE CONVERSATION WITH ABOUT 20-
SOMETHING MILLION PEOPLE
LISTENING IN, AND SO IT HELPS
THEM FOR US TO HAVE THAT
CONVERSATION.
THE PERSON I’M TALKING TO MAYBE
IS NOT GOING TO RECEIVE IT AND
THAT’S PART OF THE DEAL, BUT WE
HAVE THE RADIO PART OF IT AND WE
JUST HAVE TO MOVE ON TO THE NEXT
CALLER AND SOMEBODY THAT DOES
WANT THE HELP.
NEIL: YEAH, PROBABLY JUST A CNN
VIEWER ANYWAY, BUT LET ME GET
YOUR THOUGHTS ON CONSUMERS
NOW, WE’RE TOLD THAT THEY’RE NOT
REALLY HURTING AS MUCH AS BEEN
SAID, TICKET PRICES, CROWDED
RESTAURANTS, ALL OF THAT, AND
THAT’S WHAT WILL AVOID A
RECESSION.
DO YOU BUY THAT?
>> I DON’T KNOW.
I MEAN, WE’RE SEEING LAYOFFS
HAND-OVER-FIST WHICH IS A SIGN
OF RECESSION.
A LOT OF BIG PUBLICLY TRADED
COMPANIES ARE LAYING OFF 10-15%
OF THEIR WORKFORCE, SO THAT IS
NOT A GOOD SIGN AND THOSE FOLKS
ARE NOT GOING TO BE OUT THERE BY
ING AIRLINE TICKETS.
THEY ARE AT HOME BECAUSE THEY
GOT LAID OFF AND SO WE’VE GOT
THAT PART OF THE ECONOMY.
IT SEEMS TO ME IT’S KIND OF
PATCHY.
THERE’S SECTIONS WHERE PEOPLE
ARE PROSPERING AND DOING WELL,
SPENDING LIKE CRAZY, AND THEN
THERE’S SECTIONS WHERE THEY ARE
GETTING HAMMERED BY THESE
INFLATIONARY RATES AND BY THESE
INCREASING INTEREST RATES, AND
SO IT’S NOT JUST A CERTAIN
POCKET DEMOGRAPHICALLY BUT IT
JUST SEEMS TO BE THINLY SLICED
OUT THERE, KIND OF NUANCED IF
YOU WILL, SO YOU CAN’T JUST
THROW A BLANKET OVER ALL OF IT
AND SAY IT’S ALL BAD OR THEY’RE
ALL SPENDING LIKE CRAZY SO WE’RE
NOT GOING TO BE A PROBLEM.
NEIL: SO LET ME ASK YOU, DO YOU
STILL BUY THINGS WITH CASH?
YOU STILL RECOMMEND THAT?
>> OH, ABSOLUTELY.
I HAVEN’T BORROWED IN 30-
SOMETHING YEARS, AND WHEN WE
HAVE A --
NEIL: SO YOU WALK INTO A
RESTAURANT WITH A BAG OF CASH?
I MEAN, UM WHAT DO YOU DO?
>> [LAUGHTER]
WELL THE LAST TIME I BOUGHT YOU
DINNER BECAUSE YOU WERE CHEAP, I
USED A DEBIT CARD.
NEIL: [LAUGHTER]
WELL, IT’S SO GOOD TO HAVE YOU.
DAVE I’LL NEVER FORGET YOUR
KINDNESS.
A LOT OF YOU DON’T KNOW THIS ,
WHEN I WAS A NOBODY, WORSE THAN
A NOBODY, THIS MAN TOOK THE TIME
OUT OF HIS VERY BUSY SCHEDULE TO
HOST A BOOK PARTY FOR ME, AND
GOT A LOT OF PEOPLE TO COME TO
THAT EVENT.
I DON’T THINK YOU KNEW ME THAT
WELL, I KNEW HIM VERY WELL BUT
I’LL NEVER FORGET THAT KINDNESS.
HE DIDN’T HAVE TO DO THAT.
HE DID IT AND HE DIDN’T EVEN ASK
FOR A PERCENTAGE OF THE BOOK
SALE.
DAVE ALWAYS GOOD SEEING YOU MY
FRIEND.
>> YOU TOO, MERRY CHRISTMAS, MY